What’s the best way for a global luxury brand to promote itself to a country that has an estimated one-third of the world’s luxury market customers? Wildly racist videos? Good news! ‘Dolce & Gabbana would like you to join its marketing team.

What happened?

One of the biggest news that happened among luxury brands is Dolce & Gabbana’s racist videos in November 2018. In the videos, an Asian woman in a lavish Dolce & Gabbana dresses attempting to eat pizza, spaghetti, and cannoli. With Chinese folk music playing in the background, a Mandarin-speaking voiceover kicks in: ‘Welcome to the first episode of ‘Eating with Chopsticks’by Dolce & Gabbana’ — pronounced incorrectly on purpose in a way that mocks Chinese speech. The awkward behavior of the model provoked Chinese.

When someone pointed out the improper expression in the video to its designer, he rejected to admit the mistake and respond with more improper expressions. And because of the evil influence, Dolce & Gabbana could only withdraw ” The Great Show.”

How does Dolce & Gabbana respond?

I was so so so so angry when I saw the videos and the response as a Chinese citizen. Not until this event had a widely bad influence in China that brand spokespeople terminated contracts and many Chinese actors and actress absented for the Shanghai Show, Dolce & Gabbana yanked the video and apologized.

However, what’s a lousy apology they gave! According to Chinese social media users, although they also apologized in Chinese, when they watched the video closely, their way of speaking was very stiff, and their eyes often glanced to the other side, just like primary school students reciting the text.

And the more ridiculous thing is that Stefano Gabbana said the one on Instagram is not him. The Instagram account was hacked. Whatever the truth is, Chinese customers do not believe what he said.

Chinese customers thought DG would make an apology for such a wrong behavior, but what the netizens got instead was another cold statement saying that it was unfortunate to cancel the “brand show.” It’s a feeling that it’s not them, it’s the people who love their brand that has suffered the most because the show was canceled, and it’s infuriating.

So, DG does not have the sincerity to apologize; perhaps its brand influence will also be significantly reduced in the Chinese mind.

Who responsible to brand social media crisis?

As a future marketer, I have something to say about social media crisis. A brand will not be successful if it makes a mistake, correct it and repeat this process over and over again.

Firstly, marketers are supposed to show respect content to their customers when doing promotion, especially global brands. Secondly, if a social media crisis appear, what should the company do? Just publish a PR article or hold a press conference and apologize? No!!! Marketing and PR are all needed to handle the event. Not only PR person should stand up and save the brand image, but the project director should admit the mistake in front of the public. Also, everyone in the company should have an attitude of excuse.

Finally, DO NOT LEARN FROM DOLCE & GABBANA!

Could Dolce & Gabbana win its Chinese customers’ hearts back? That depends on what it does in the future. What do you think? Share your opinion with me!